In brief: Police: Missing glove led to shooting
Authorities believe a missing work glove led to a shooting between a Browne’s Addition apartment tenant and the building’s handyman.
Spokane police officers arrested Justin C. Werle on Tuesday night after they closed off several blocks in the neighborhood and called a SWAT team to find the alleged shooter at the Pacific Terrace Apartments in the 2200 block of West Pacific Avenue.
Court documents said the victim, identified as Zachary P. Bergstrom, told authorities a dispute began when Werle confronted him about the missing work glove earlier on Tuesday. A shoving match ensued between the two in the building’s alleyway, court documents show, and Werle pulled out a gun and shot Bergstrom in the neck.
Bergstrom has since been released from Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, according to nursing staff.
Werle, a convicted felon, reportedly bought the gun from someone at the West Wynn Motel days prior, both his fiancee and mother told authorities. He’s charged with first-degree assault and possession of a deadly weapon. He appeared in court Wednesday afternoon and Judge James Triplet approved a prosecutor’s bond request of $500,000.
Three injured in vehicle rollover
A vehicle rollover injured two adults and a 5-year-old girl after the driver fell asleep at the wheel on the Pines Road exit from Interstate 90, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The accident occurred around 11:40 a.m. Wednesday and a single lane of traffic was blocked on the off-ramp while emergency crews extricated one passenger and helped others, WSP spokesman Jeff Sevigney said.
The news release identified the driver as David R. Rowberry, 30. He had to be extricated and likely sustained the most injuries, Sevigney said, but everyone is expected to be OK. A dog died in the crash, he added.
All three occupants were taken to Providence Sacred Heart Hospital for their injuries.
The driver will be charged with negligent driving and driving without a license and insurance, the release added.
Employees indentify alleged stabber
Spokane police officers have arrested a man suspected of stabbing a man several times outside a downtown bar last month.
Tony M. Noble, 35, was identified by employees of Bowl’z, Bitez and Spiritz as a possible suspect for stabbing a male victim 10 times on March 31. The victim, identified as Sean Rushing, had stab wounds all over his body and was rushed to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. He had two collapsed lungs, officers said in recently filed court documents.
Rushing told police he left the bar around 1:45 a.m. and got into a fight. He thought he was being punched, but later woke up and learned he had been stabbed, court documents said.
A friend drove him to the hospital after she found him bleeding in the passenger seat of her car.
The next day, Noble told his manager at a north Spokane Zip Trip that he was jumped by some men. He had a black eye, the manager told police.
Detectives charged Noble with first-degree assault. Noble is in custody at Spokane County Jail with a $35,000 bond.
NASCAR driver to greet fans Friday
Racing fans can meet former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty at the Spokane Valley Krispy Kreme Friday morning.
Petty, who raced in the Sprint Cup Series for more than 30 years and now is a racing analyst, will greet fans at 7:30 a.m. as part of his efforts to raise money for Victory Junction, a North Carolina camp for children with chronic medical illnesses.
Krispy Kreme, a partner in Victory Junction, will give out donuts in return for donations to the charity. Petty’s appearance is expected to last less than an hour. The store is at the northwest corner of Sullivan Street and Indiana Avenue, just east of Spokane Valley Mall.
On Saturday, Petty will lead more than 175 motorcycle riders on the 19th Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, also to benefit Victory Junction. The 2,100-mile ride will begin Saturday morning at the Coeur d’Alene Resort and end May 3 in Tempe, Ariz.
Petty, the son of seven-time Cup champion Richard Petty, and his wife, Pattie, opened the Randleman, N.C., camp in 2004 and are raising money for a new camp near Kansas City. They established Victory Junction in memory of their son Adam, who was killed in a NASCAR crash in 2000 at age 19.
Man pleads guilty to killing wife
SANDPOINT – A North Idaho man accused of killing his pregnant wife last December has pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.
Jeremy Keith Swanson, 27, entered his pleas Tuesday as part of a plea agreement, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported. Prosecutors allege Swanson stabbed his wife, Jennifer Marie Bosch-Swanson, repeatedly in the head and torso with an ice pick and a knife on Dec. 18.
In exchange for his pleas, Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall said he will not seek the death penalty for Swanson, who will be sentenced in June.
Man exposes himself in WSU dormitory
PULLMAN – Washington State University police are asking the public for information that will help catch a flasher who has been exposing himself on campus.
Police say the latest incident was early Monday in the Stephenson East residence hall. A woman looking in a restroom mirror saw a naked man behind her. He took off when she noticed him. A similar incident happened Thursday in the same building.
Assistant police Chief Steve Hansen told the Moscow-Pullman Daily News the suspect in the two cases is likely the same man from another six exposure incident reports.
Hansen said police hope witnesses or others with information will call in tips.
Shooting suspect, victims identified
SEATTLE – Police and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office have identified the suspect and three of the victims in a Federal Way shooting Sunday that ended with five dead.
Police say 27-year-old Dennis Clark shot his 24-year-old girlfriend, Justine E. Baez, at their apartment and then killed three men. One was 62-year-old neighbor Roland L. Scobee, who had told others to call 911 and retreated inside his unit, where Clark blasted open the door with the shotgun.
Another man was identified as 23-year-old Ceasar A. Valdovinos. The fourth victim is believed to be a 47-year-old Federal Way man who has not been positively identified.